


Steal A Broken Dream

by ha5rika



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abuse, Abused Jensen, Alternate Universe - Genie/Djinn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark Jensen Ackles, Homophobia, Hurt Jensen, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Robbery, Violence, Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 10:24:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2188221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ha5rika/pseuds/ha5rika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared is a genie and Jensen is a thief who keeps forgetting the exit password to Jared's cave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steal A Broken Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story when I was down with fever. So, what started as something light hearted turned angsty. Don't be fooled by the summary. The fic can get dark in places. So, please read the warnings and proceed with caution.  
> For any of you who might be wondering, Jared looks like the genie in the Aladdin cartoons... only a little less cartoonish.  
> A very huge thank you to my amazing beta heartblowswild for correcting my sleepy mistakes and giving me her valuable opinion on the story.

 

“Forgot your password? Again?”

Jensen turned around with a sheepish smile. Jared was watching him with a stern expression on his face, hands folded over his chest. But, the upturn to his lips gave away his amusement at Jensen’s predicament.

“How difficult can memorizing, ‘Sheudia Halemastan’ be?” Jared asked with a small shake of his head. Jensen was mesmerized by the way the movement caused Jared’s longish brunette hair to fall in neat curls at the nape of his neck. He almost took too long to answer the question.

“You are kidding me, right?” Jensen asked when he regained his senses.

Jared’s confusion told Jensen that he wasn’t.

“Why can’t the password be ‘Abracadabra’ or something?”

“That would be too cliché and too easy,” Jared said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “Anyway, the other thieves remember it, why can’t you?”

Jensen ducked his head, embarrassed, and rubbed a palm over the back of his neck, a nervous tick.

“Do you want me to open the door for you?” Jared asked. Jensen looked up to see Jared smiling fondly at him, his champagne eyes shining with fondness.

“I got nothing important to get to,” Jensen mused, as if he had really considered leaving.“Mind if I stay here for a while? It is too hot outside.”

A wistful expression fell over Jared’s face as his gaze shifted to the entrance to the cave, as if he were trying to feel the heat of the world outside through the stone. Jared sighed, his gaze shifting to mid-air. He waved his hand in the air and a flying carpet with sweet delights and cool refreshments materialized out of nowhere.

“Help yourself,” Jared said softly. The carpet floated closer to Jensen and he gratefully accepted the Lemon Sherbet. The cool liquid soothed his overheated body and Jensen let out a small appreciative moan.

“Thank you, Jared,” he said. Jared hummed and kept staring in the general direction of the door. “It is so hot outside,” Jensen said, “that the sweat runs like a waterfall down my back.”

Jared smiled, finally turning his gaze towards Jensen. “Tell me more.”

Jensen folded his legs beneath him and sat on the cold stone floor. The carpet landed gracefully on the floor and settled beside Jensen. The genie drew his smoke like form closer to Jensen, his complexion turning opaque with every passing moment. Jared helped himself to a Turkish Delight when his hands had turned completely solid and real. His lower body however, remained undefined and transparent, mere smoke that trailed away from his body.

Jared looked at Jensen expectantly, with a childish excitement in his eyes, as he continued to feast on his own magic treats. He got that way every time Jensen talked to him about the world outside the stone walls of the cave. In those moments, Jared made Jensen feel like he was someone special, his tip-tilted eyes focusing on Jensen like he wasn’t just the only person in the room but like he was the only person in the whole world.

“Just outside the cave, the sands are of golden color – just like the treasure inside the cave,” Jensen started, settling in with a drink in his hand, for a long talk. “The sand stretches for miles and miles. There is nothing but sand dunes as far as the eye can see and beyond…”

~~~

Jensen first met Jared when he missed the Magic Parchment changing its password.

The Arabian Raiders, that’s what Jensen’s den of thieves called themselves, had access to a magical cave in the middle of the desert. The cave was guarded by a genie that lived inside, who protected the treasures that the thieves stored there. You needed a password to get inside and outside the cave. The password that opened the cave from the outside was always the same, “Darwaja Khulja”.

But, the password that opened the cave from the inside would change constantly and only the den knew what the password was at any given time. The den never gave out the entrance password but, since the password never changed, over time the password became known in some underground circles. Some people bravely, or stupidly, entered the cave to steal the treasure but got stuck once inside since they didn’t know the exit password.

Those people were decapitated by the thieves and their heads were placed on a spike outside the cave as a warning to future intruders.

All thieves taken into the Arabian Raiders were given a parchment that was enchanted by the genie, with a password written on it. The password changed every now and then, when the genie that guarded the cave felt like changing it. This was to make sure that no one but the thieves in the den knew of the password. And the magic put on the parchment and the password allowed the genie to be notified if someone had lost the parchment or showed the parchment to a member outside the den or if the password was written or spoken outside the cave.

The thieves who did that were also decapitated and their heads put on a spike as a warning to the future betrayers.

The tiny problem with this system was that the password could change when a thief was out hunting booty, and he wouldn’t know of it until he was inside the cave and the cave door refused to open. Usually, the only thing the thief could do was to wait for one of the other thieves to come around and help him.

For almost a year after Jeffery Dean Morgan had recruited him the Arabian Raiders, Jensen thought the genie was a myth. Sure, there were enchantments and magic involved. And when a party was held in the cave, women or men in scantily clad clothes appeared out of thin air to ‘entertain’ the thieves. Everyone assumed it was the genie. But, many of the thieves hadn’t actually seen the creature.

Jensen wouldn’t have seen Jared either if he hadn’t missed the password changing.

~~~

“Jared!” Jensen called out, making his best effort to sound frustrated.

“You know, maybe you should carry the parchment with you.” Jared’s voice came before his non-corporeal form appeared.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Jensen muttered to himself.

“Come again?” Jared asked, the smile in his voice telling Jensen that he caught Jensen’s words.

“You know Jeffery would cut off my head if I ever lost it. Besides, it is not my fault you create such complicated passwords!” Jensen said, indignantly. And no, despite what Jared says, Jensen doesn’t pout.

Jared’s smile widened, his smoky form turning more solid. His muscled chest looked tan despite Jared having remained inside the cave all his life.

“All the other riders have no trouble remembering it,” the genie said, grinning.

 _Neither do I_ was on the tip was Jensen’s tongue, but he stopped the words from spilling out at the last moment. “They move in groups, Jared. Someone or other is bound to remember the password.”

Jared’s face turned contemplative as he floated closer to Jensen, stopping just an arm’s reach away from him. “Why don’t you come with them anymore?”

Jensen’s face darkened. “We… We had a falling out of sorts.”

“What happened?” Jared asked, frowning in concern. You don’t have a falling out with the Arabian Raiders and live to tell the tale. Even the genie knew this. But, Jensen’s problem was a different one.

He sighed. “You know Danneel?”

“The redhead?”

“Yeah. Her,” Jensen said. “She has a crush on me.”

“Won’t take ‘no’ for an answer?” Jared asked, amusement coloring his voice again.

“Won’t take, ‘I’m gay’ for an answer.”

There was a tense silence in the cave after that. Jared’s face remained blank, his expression hard to read. Jensen mentally kicked himself for outing himself like that and wondering what the genie-folk’s stance on homosexuality was.

“What is gay?” Jared asked, tentatively, his face still blank.

Jensen stared at him, incredulous. But then Jensen realized that having been guarding a cave all his life, Jared probably didn’t know what sexuality was. He might have seen the thieves as they had their orgies in his cave, but he probably had no idea what they were doing or why they were doing it. And if other genies did exist, Jared had probably never met them.

At Jensen’s prolonged silence, Jared fumbled to take his words back. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have asked that. I just… I’m an idiot who doesn’t know anything…”

“Jared!” Jensen said, sharply to get Jared to stop his word vomit. “It’s all right. Gay is being attracted to people of the same sex.”

Jared still looked confused so Jensen elaborated. “You see what happens during the den’s parties in the cave, don’t you? The way the men interact with the magical women you create and the women with the magical men?” Jared nodded slowly. “Gay is wanting to be like that with people of your own sex.”

“Oh…” There was something unreadable on Jared’s face. Before Jensen could understand what it was, it was gone.

“Is that the only reason you come alone? Because you don’t want to cross paths with Danneel?” Jared asked, smiling shyly.

 _No, it’s not_. “Of course!” Jensen winced internally. Did he say that too fast?

Jared’s smile fell, his face hardened and his body started to turn transparent. Jensen frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong. Did he scare Jared off by letting on that he was gay? Jensen hadn’t given away his attraction towards Jared as far as he knew.

“The password is HectalopistaOculama,” Jared said tersely and vanished, leaving Jensen confused and dumbfounded.

~~~

Jensen’s first encounter with Jared though memorable, for various reasons, wasn’t a pleasant one.

The first time Jensen had missed the password changing, he had just returned from a solo hunt. He had looted a wealthy merchant, who had a fetish for inserting phallic objects into his slaves’ unwilling but non-protesting bodies. He was supposed to go on a ship raid with Danneel, Alona, Chris, Steve, Misha and Jeffery. But, when he saw one of the merchant’s slaves shivering uncontrollably in a corner at a local bar, he approached her.

The poor girl, after some coaxing and food, told him her tale. She said that the master usually took care to prepare them but that day he was drunk and had torn her up pretty badly. Scared and in pain, the slave had run – a bold move, considering the fact that slaves who escape onto the streets are usually forced into prostitution.

Jensen had taken the girl to Samantha, one of his contacts who weren’t involved in thieving. She ran a home for such slaves who ran away from their cruel masters. Samantha gave Jensen a brief report of the girl’s injuries and what he had heard had made bile rise into his throat.

So, Jensen had decided that he would loot the merchant as he passed through the desert and not at his house. The money would be far less than what he would gain by raiding a ship or even by raiding the merchant’s house. But, he would get to kick the merchant’s ass and hopefully give him a taste of his own medicine without constantly worrying about the city guard.

The day was long and exhausting but, Jensen had to deposit the loot in the cave before he went home. And during the long hours that he was away, the genie of the cave had changed the password and Jensen didn’t know about it.

Jensen let out a long drawn and frustrated groan when the stone entrance of the cave didn’t budge. “SON OF A BITCH!” he yelled into the empty cave, his voice reverberating off the stone walls. Jensen began to curse at the top his lungs and repeatedly hit the door with his booted foot even after it began to hurt. Jensen only stopped when he broke his toe and then he collapsed onto the floor, with his back to the door. Clutching his bleeding foot in his hands, Jensen filled the air with a few more colorful expletives.

“You fucking son of a bitch. Fuck you, genie, fuck you! Did you have to change the password while I was gone? You asshole!” At that point, Jensen was so gone that he didn’t care if he incurred the magical being’s wrath.

However, instead of cursing Jensen to bathe in boiling hot oil or something equally gruesome, the genie materialized some herbal medicine in a bowl and a clean piece of cloth beside Jensen’s foot. Jensen blinked once, twice and thrice at the goods presented to him before raising his head to look for the source of the magical items. There was no one else in the cave beside Jensen and the genie was nowhere to be seen.

Shrugging to himself, Jensen picked up the offered medicine and cleaned his wound using a piece of cloth. The burn of the medicine helped cool his rage and cleared his head. Jensen wrapped the rest of the cloth around his toe to keep it from bleeding any further or getting infected. When he was done and had put the medicine to a side, a Persian rug with all kinds of delicacies from all over the world appeared in front of him. There were also jugs filled with cool refreshments of various kinds present.

Jensen was thirsty and worn out from his journey and he had also screamed his throat hoarse. So, he didn’t think twice about taking the lemon sherbet, his favorite drink, and downing the glass full in one go. Only after the cool liquid had settled comfortably in his belly did he think about possible poisoning. Cursing himself, Jensen waited for the acidic burn in his veins that he was sure would follow. He waited for what seemed like hours but nothing happened.

The assortment of food and drinks sat on the carpet, innocently – like a silent apology. Suddenly, Jensen felt like an ass.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into the air. Nothing happened.

“I know you are in here,” Jensen said, louder. “I am really sorry. I just… had a really bad day and… Look, I know it’s no excuse to be taking my frustrations out on you. I’m sorry, okay?”

The cave remained silent, expect for the lingering echo of Jensen’s voice.

“Hey, could you… could you maybe show yourself or something? I look stupid sitting here all by myself and talking to no one… Please?”

A couple of feet away from the wall straight ahead, a transparent form of a man materialized in the air. A moment ago there was no one there and then slowly the air shaped itself into the ghostly form. The man’s face was boyish with big eyes that were currently shining with tears and doing their best puppy-dog impression. If Jensen didn’t feel like an asshole before, he did now. The man, or boy, had longish hair that almost reached his shoulders. But his form was so transparent that Jensen couldn’t make out the color of the locks. His chest was muscled and he was wearing vest, which was probably red in color. He had no legs but a trail of smoke as his lower body.

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” the genie said, meekly.

Jensen shook his head. “No, I am the one who must be sorry. I shouldn’t have run my mouth like that.”

The genie said nothing and regarded Jensen through guarded eyes. He had made no move to closer to Jensen and in fact, seemed to be keeping a distance. His smoky tail was flicking from side to side like that of an upset cat. Jensen sighed.

“Thank you for the medicine and the food.”

“What’s your name?”The genie startled at that. His eyes widened and he started at Jensen as if he had grown a second head. Jensen mentally pumped his fist into the air at having got a reaction from the genie.

“My name is Jensen,” he prompted.

“Uh… Jay… Jared?” It was merely above a whisper but, Jensen heard it clearly in the silence of the cave.

“Was that a question? Don’t you know your own name?” Jensen had meant it as a harmless tease, but Jared must have felt offended by the question. The genie bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes.

If Jensen could, he would have kicked himself in the ass. Jared was doing the perfect impression of a kicked puppy and Jensen’s heart sank into his stomach.

Deciding that he should stop hurting the poor genie and thank him properly for his hospitality, Jensen moved to stand up. He thought that if Jared didn’t come to him, he would go to Jared. Unfortunately, he had completely forgotten about his busted toe. Pained laced through Jensen’s foot when he put pressure on the toe and he lost his balance.

Just as Jensen was about to fall down, an invisible force caught him in the air preventing his fall. Jensen looked up to see Jared standing right beside him, his ghostly hands poised as if to catch Jensen. Straightening himself up, taking care not to put too much weight on the busted toe, Jensen cleared his throat.

“Um… Thank you. Again, I guess,” he said stupidly. Up close, Jensen could see Jared more clearly. He was still transparent, but his features were more defined. Jensen noticed the cat like eyes that seemed to change color even when they were almost colorless. Jared’s face was handsome but still held a boyish quality – as if it were frozen in time just as the boy had reached adulthood but his face hadn’t completely grown from its adolescent stage.

Jensen realized that that was probably true.

“Jared, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Jensen said, when Jared started to float backwards, avoiding Jensen’s eyes. “I was the ass. Can we put this behind us and be friends?”

Jared stopped in his tracks and once again started at Jensen like he had lost his mind. “Friends?” Jared spoke as if the very word was foreign to him. “You want to… be friends… with me?”

Jensen nodded his head, plastering his most earnest expression on his face. “Yeah, I do.”

Jared didn’t seem to believe Jensen. He continued to regard Jensen suspiciously for some time as Jensen fought to stand still under the scrutiny, shifting slightly on his feet. Jared must have found what he was looking for in Jensen’s face because his gaze softened and his eyes returned to their normal size. If Jensen wasn’t mistaken, Jared had also grown more opaque.

“Why?” Jared asked.

“Well, I’m going to be stuck here for a while, it seems,” Jensen said. “I might as well try to get on the good side of the resident genie.”

Jared smiled faintly, his eyes moving towards Jensen’s foot. “I can’t fix it,” he said. “I can get you medicine to help you cure but I can’t heal people.”

Jensen shrugged. “It’s all right. You don’t have to do anything for me.”

Jared looked at him curiously but, he was no longer wearing a kicked-puppy look. So, Jensen counted that as a victory. “So, tell me,” Jensen said, sitting on the stone floor in front of the carpet, “how do you make these foods. Can you do anything you want to do?”

“No, I can’t. But I can create some special delicacies to entertain the men who use the cave. It hasn’t got that good a nutritional value...” Jared trailed off. “Sorry, I’m babbling,” he said. Jensen could see the color rising in his cheeks.

“Jared, stop apologizing. Friends don’t apologize for every little thing,” he reprimanded in a mock-stern voice. “Anyway, who needs nutritional value when you got Turkish Delights?” Jensen held out the sweet to the genie. “Try it,” he said.

Jared was still wearing the confused and curious look as he made the desert float towards him and took the first bite of his own magical treats.

It would be a long time before Jared lost that confused look every time Jensen was nice to him.

~~~

“Whom do you steal these from?” Jared asked. Jensen could see that the genie was trying very hard to keep the judgment from his voice.

In all their months of friendship, they had never talked about what Jensen did for a living. Jensen liked to keep it that way and avoided answering any questions he was asked about his thievery. The reason for this was that Jensen was a selfish asshole who didn’t want Jared to see him for the villain that he truly was.

But, Jensen was growing tired of dodging Jared’s questions, tired of who he was and what he had become. And if anyone deserved to know the truth about him, it was Jared. But, he was scared – scared of Jared never speaking to him again, once he found out the truth.

“From people who won’t miss them,” Jensen answered shortly. It wasn’t like Jared didn’t know that he was a thief but he didn’t need to know what horrible things Jensen did.

When Jared remained silent for a long time, Jensen turned around from where he was stuffing some of the gold coins into a bag. He was expecting to see disgust or anger on Jared’s face. After all, Jensen was disgusted and angry with himself.

But, Jared was smiling softly at him, his form opaque and solid.  “You aren’t like the other thieves, Jensen. You are a good man.”

Jensen let out a humorless laugh. “I am a thief, Jared.”

Jensen turned away from him, unable to meet Jared’s earnest eyes. Jensen had done nothing to deserve such kindness, especially not from someone like Jared. He began loading up the goods onto his horse’s back, avoiding Jared’s gaze.

“Where are you taking them?” Jared asked quietly.

“To the village,” Jensen answered without looking at him.

“What will you do with it?”

“Give it to people who need it.”

“See? You _are_ a good man,” Jared said confidently.

Jensen turned around sharply and stood face to face with Jared. “You don’t know anything about me. I have looted and plundered villages…” Jensen trailed away, lowering his eyes in shame.

A cool palm touched his chin, startling him. It was Jared. He was floating so close to Jensen that they would be sharing the same breath if Jared actually breathed air. Jensen’s spine tingled at the contact. It was the first time Jared had touched him. Jensen didn’t even know that Jared could touch. Jared held Jensen’s chin between his thumb, forefinger and middle finger and lifted his head up so Jensen was forced to look into Jared’s eyes.

Even if he could look away, Jensen wouldn’t have. Jared’s ever-changing eyes were fixed on him, boring into his soul. Jensen wanted to look away, keep Jared from looking too deep into who he really was. But, he was tired of hiding who he was.

He was tired of being a monster.

“You did those things in the past. You don’t do those anymore,” Jared whispered. “You are a good man, Jensen. I have seen enough evil to recognize good when I see it.”

A lump formed in Jensen’s throat, making it impossible for him to talk – to tell Jared that he wasn’t a good man. But, the weight in Jensen’s chest – his heart – that had been pining after the genie for so long wanted to leave Jared in the dark. He wanted to take all of the innocence that Jared had managed to preserve in himself for so long. He wanted Jared all for himself. Jensen wanted.

When Jared let go of his chin and leaned down, his eyes moving from Jensen’s eyes to his lips, Jensen turned his face away so that Jared’s soft lips touched the corner of his lips and not on them.

Jared sighed and floated backwards out of Jensen’s reach. Jensen wanted to pull Jared into his arms but he resolutely turned away and mounted his horse, telling himself it was better this way. That Jared was better off without him.

When Jared opened the door of the cave with a flick of his hand, Jensen rode off without a backward glance, cries of a child from a distant memory echoing in his ears.

~~~

When Jensen’s father caught his second born son kissing a stable boy, he went berserk. He told Jensen that the witches had cursed him and that he was doomed to the deepest rings of hell. He tried to ‘cure’ Jensen by taking him to Viziers and self-proclaimed Prophets. Jensen tried to argue, to explain to his father that these ‘urges’ were a part of him and that they weren’t a disease to be cured. His father listened to what Jensen had to say and then promptly kicked him out of the house.

“If they are a part of you, I wish to have no part in your life. Get out of my sight and never come back,” he calmly told Jensen. And Jensen, being the good son that he was, obliged.

The trouble was that life was hard for a fourteen year old who was on the streets with not so much as a penny in his pocket.

In the beginning, Jensen took odd jobs here and there. He was good with his hands so he would help potters and blacksmiths in their craft. He was a fast runner and an even better rider so he sometimes acted as a courier. But, men were greedy. They took advantage of an inexperienced youth, who had no knowledge of the ways of the world.The coins that Jensen earned were meager and were barely enough to feed his stomach let alone give him a shelter.

Often Jensen would find himself starving. His bones began to show through his dirt-covered skin. In the day time, he worked hard without a minute of respite. The sun would leach all the water from his body, leaving him dehydrated and thirsty. In the desert, water was just as precious as gold and Jensen couldn’t afford to have more than the small amount he was given with his meals. In the night time, he would lay in a dark corner of a street, wrapping his arms around himself and folding himself into a small, shivering ball to preserve body heat.

But, he survived.

Jensen would always save some of the wages that he was given. No matter how much it was, a gold coin, a silver coin or a bronze penny, he would put away some of the money he had earned for the future. He always had great plans for himself. Jensen would save enough to get out of the city and go to his uncle’s house in the next city. He would then take his uncle’s help, buy himself a house and start his own business. By the time he was 20, Jensen knew that he would never go hungry. He had it all planned out.

But, the metaphorical rainy day would always arrive and Jensen would be forced to deplete his fund.

On one such day, Jensen reluctantly pulled out the bundle of coins he had stashed in a grove by the gutter. He eyed the bag sadly, knowing that using his stash would delay his plans by many more weeks. But, he had no choice. Jensen’s master had refused to pay him or feed him this week and he hadn’t had a morsel in 3 days. But, most importantly, he needed water.

Unfortunately, all the coins in the bag were bronze pennies. Individually, they amounted to almost nothing. And even all the pennies combined would only be worth a gold coin and 5 silvers. So, he took the whole lot to the nearby mess and ordered a meal and a jug full of water. Of course, Jensen wouldn’t have drunk the whole jug. He would have taken a sip or two to wet his scratchy throat and he would save the rest in the jute bag he made.

Everything was going fine, or as fine as it could have been for Jensen, until the moment he tried to pay the bill.

The owner of the mess was a round bellied, shifty man whose one eye was always squinting. He had been eying him warily all through his meal but, it was only when Jensen pulled out his bag of coins did he speak.

“Where did ya get tha’ bag, lad?”

“It is mine, sir,” Jensen answered. “These are my savings.”

“Don’chatryta fool me, boy,” the man yelled. “Which poor soul did ya steel them coins from?”

Jensen shook his head vigorously and unconsciously pulled the bag closer to him. He noticed for the first time that he was alone in the mess with the man. “No, sir, I swear. These coins are my hard earned money.”

“Ya’ll not answer like this!” The mess owner pulled Jensen by the scruff of his dirty shirt and dragged him to the back of the house. Jensen struggled and tried to yell for help but he was weak from lack of nutrition and his throat was tried up due to lack of water.

The man dragged Jensen down the stairs of a musky basement and threw him on the floor. Before Jensen could even get his knees under him, a whip landed on his back. The man continued to mercilessly whip Jensen until his clothes were shredded to pieces. Jensen had lost count of the lashes after 25 so he didn’t know how many it really was.

When he was done, the man pulled Jensen by his hair and whispered into his ear, his foul smelling breath clogging Jensen’s senses. “Me should call the guard, what do ya think, li’l boy? Think them men will take yar word o’er mine? Think they’ll letcha go or throw ya in prison?”

Jensen tried to see through his tears but they weren’t stopping. They kept filling up his eyes, falling down and filling up again, obscuring his vision. He tried twist away from the man’s grip but his body weighed a ton and refused to cooperate with him. His back was bleeding and the skin on his arms and legs had been peeled off while he was being dragged. He hurt all over. So, he gave in.

“Anything. Please, I’ll do anything. Don’t call the guard.”

“Now that’s a good lad,” the man said throwing Jensen on the ground and pulling off his slacks. The man whispered filthy things into Jensen’s ear as he thrust into him, paying no heed to the 15 year old’s pleas and cries. By the time he was done, Jensen was barely conscious. So, the man left Jensen bleeding and hurting on the basement floor that smelled like cat-piss.

The next morning Jensen found himself on the street again.

Jensen committed his first theft that day. He was hungry, thirsty and in pain. He had no money left, the owner having kept Jensen’s bag of coins. In his desperation, Jensen saw nothing wrong with stealing just a little bit of the merchant’s meal.

Once he had a taste of what it was like to get food without having to work the whole day for it, Jensen found it hard to go back to earning an honest living. So, he stole. He stole food when he was hungry, water when he was thirsty, blankets when he was cold and money when he was angry.

Jensen got angry a lot.

By the time Jensen was 19, he had broken the bones of 13 men who either caught him or tried to abuse him. Jensen had quickly learnt that there was no dream place where he could run away to and no magical solution to all his problems. At 19, he was one of the biggest petty criminals in the city, the one that the city guard kept a watch out for. He only lived for himself and only lived to get through the day, with no plans for the next sunrise.

At 19, Jensen stole from a man who was much more powerful than he was.

Lehne was a notorious criminal whose name drove fear into the hearts of people all across the country. That day, he was passing through Jensen’s city with his men. Not knowing who Lehne was, Jensen had picked him as his target.

One rule most thieves follow is to never steal from a fellow thief, especially from one who is better than you. Because, if your target can steal well, it would be harder to steal something from him and get away with it. As his bad luck would have it, Jensen was captured. But, this time, he was no undernourished, 15 year old boy. He was stronger and feared nothing – not even death. So, when Lehne threatened him, Jensen spit on his face.

Jensen had thought what he did would end in his death. And it might have, if Lehne wasn’t impressed with Jensen’s courage. He said he saw darkness in Jensen’s eyes – a heart filled with hatred. He said he could use someone like Jensen.

The last time Jensen was caught, with no escape, was when the mess owner accused him of stealing money. At least Lehne wasn’t asking to use his body, Jensen thought. He was inviting him into his den. So, Jensen said, “Yes.”

Much later Jensen would realize that what Lehne did to him was probably much worse than what the mess owner did to him. Jensen would realize that he should have said no.

It would be a child’s cries that would make him realize that.

~~~

“Did you always want to be a thief?” Jared asked.

“Yeah, I did. It was my dream job.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

They hadn’t brought up Jensen’s profession since their last disastrous discussion about it. And neither had they talked about their almost kiss. It was one of those things between close friends that got swept under the rug and never mentioned, Jensen guessed. Jensen for his part was more than happy to pretend it never happened.

“Why are you so reluctant to talk about yourself?” Jared asked, floating closer to Jensen and to the floor. His smoky tail floated almost horizontally above the floor but, never touching it. It was as close to sitting down as Jared could get. Sometimes Jensen wondered if Jared ever got tired of all the floating around. Jensen sometimes got tired of feeling like he was floating away.

“Because it isn’t a happy story to tell,” Jensen said, way too cheerfully, popping a grape into his mouth.

Jared plucked a grape from the bunch Jensen was holding and put it in his mouth. It was the first time he had tried grapes.

“You like it?” Jensen asked.

“It’s good. Watery. I still like the mangoes best.”

“I like those too,” Jensen said over a couple of grapes. “Sadly, they don’t grow anywhere in the desert.”

“You do this all the time,” Jared said, his voice almost sounding like a whine. If Jared had legs, Jensen thought he would be stamping his foot like a 5 year old by now.

That thought made Jensen smile. “Do what?” he asked.

“This. Every time I try to know things about you, you start talking about the world outside to distract me.”

“You know a lot about me, Jared,” Jensen said. Jared knew more about Jensen than anyone else in the world. He knew about everything from Jensen’s deadly fear of spiders to his weak spot for Lemon Sherbet. He knew that Jensen purred like a cat when scratched behind the ear, a fact he learned one hot afternoon when Jensen was too tired to do anything but sleep. Jared knew which thieves Jensen liked to dish about and made sure to tell him embarrassing stories of those thieves that he learnt by invisibly observing them.

Jared knew how to make Jensen laugh. No one else did.

“I don’t know anything about your past,” Jared said, sadly. Jensen turned his head to the side to look at the genie. He looked as if not knowing Jensen’s past was physically hurting him.

“I don’t know anything about you either,” Jensen countered.

Jared got that expression on his face that he had during the beginning of their friendship. He looked at Jensen like he wasn’t real – like there would be no one in the world who would want to get to know him. “You want to know about my past?”

“If you would want to tell me, yes.” Jensen had refrained himself from asking Jared anything about his past out of fear of hurting Jared. Jensen knew that Jared had spent almost his whole life inside a cave, invisible to everyone, guarding treasures of thieves. And every time Jared was reminded of that, his face would fall and his complexion would turn more transparent. Jensen hated it when that happened.

Jared seemed to consider not answering for a moment but then he sighed and turned himself so he was facing Jensen. “You know…” he started slowly, his eyes far away as he gathered his thoughts. Jared strangely reminded Jensen of his grandfather. “I wasn’t born as genie. I was made into one.”

“Wh-what?” Jensen sputtered, sitting up straighter. Jensen had always assumed that Jared had been a genie all his life. “How does someone become a genie?”

“By being cursed, as far as I know,” Jared said. “I was cursed by a witch.”

Jensen had heard about witches and wizards who sometimes like to wreck havoc in people’s lives but he had never met one and neither did he know anyone who did. People said that there hasn’t been a witch in the desert for decades.

“Why would someone curse you?” Jensen couldn’t understand why anyone would want to curse Jared. Jared – who was so loving, caring and gentle, who saw good in horrible men, who despite having been stuck in a cave for most his life was more human than anyone Jensen had ever met. It was just absurd.

Jared’s lip twisted into a half-smile. “I rejected her advances. I am, uh… what was the word you used… gay? I am gay.”

Jensen opened his mouth once and then closed it again, at a loss for words in light of Jared’s confession. But, Jared didn’t seem to be finished with his story. He tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, something he did only when he was nervous, and continued speaking.

“The witch cursed me to guard this cave. She gave me immortality and magical powers but made sure that I could never set foot outside the cave. She said that if I liked men so much, I should see how evil they could be.” Jensen looked away in shame but Jared seemed to be too lost in his memories to notice.

“I was to serve the thieves who conquered the cave. The propriety of this place can be passed to men who defeat the previous owner. Over the years, I’ve seen so many men come and go. They bring so many treasures and store them in the deepest corners of the cave, some which even you haven’t seen, only to never use them again.”

A heavy silence fell over the two of them after that. Jensen was the one who broke it after a long moment. “Do you remember her? The witch who cursed you?” If she was still alive, Jensen had a new target to hunt and a curse to reverse.

Jared’s face scrunched up in thought as he tried to remember. “No,” he said, almost awed by the revelation. “I don’t remember her. In fact, I remember almost next to nothing about my life before the curse. I don’t remember the feel of fresh air on my face or sand under my toes. The only thing I remember is that my name is Jared. I don’t even know if I have a last name.”

Jared’s complexion was slowly turning less opaque. So, Jensen took Jared’s hand in his and squeezed it tight to keep him from fading away.

Jared started at their joined hands, his lips parted like he wanted to say something. Then he looked at Jensen and smiled. “You know what I do remember perfectly? My time with you.”

“Of course you do,” Jensen said easily. “It is quite recent when compared to your time before the curse.”

“No, it’s not that,” Jared said, his form becoming more solid and real with excitement. “I’ve seen many thieves in my life. And they are all like smoke in my memory – indefinite and shapeless. Even Jeffery Dean and the others are like that. But, you… I remember everything about you.”

Jensen was quite for a long time, not sure what to make of Jared’s words. “Is there a way to break the curse?” Jensen asked, though he already knew the answer.

“No, there isn’t,” Jared said, still smiling but his eyes were resigned, like he had made peace with his fate many years ago. “And if there is, I don’t know what it is.”

“Do you regret it? Do you regret rejecting the witch?”

Jared’s smile dimmed but, Jensen could still see the faint dimples on his cheeks. “No, I don’t. I mean, I did. Being a genie isn’t really a dream job. It pays camel shit. I used to regret my choice that led me to become this… But, now, I don’t regret it that much.”

“What changed?” Jensen whispered.

“I met you,” Jared said. Jensen’s heart did this funny thing where it did flip flops in his chest and began to beat madly – like it wanted to break out of its confines and run it into Jared’s arms. Jensen knew the feeling.

“Is it that or the Turkish Delights I introduced you to?” Jensen asked, trying his best to sound teasing and nonchalant.

Jared stared wide-eyed at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. “God! You have an unhealthy obsession with those sweets,” he said in between guffaws.

“You have to admit they are pretty good.”

“Yeah, they are,” Jared agreed. “Sometimes, I wonder if you forget the passwords on purpose, just to get me to make Turkish Delights and Lemon Sherbet for you.”

Jensen winked. “Well, if my best friend is cursed to be an all-powerful genie, I might as well take advantage of it.”

~~~

Jared wasn’t far off the mark when he joked that Jensen forgot the passwords on purpose.

But, it wasn’t for Turkish Delights or Lemon Sherbets. Jensen pretended to forget the passwords so he could talk to Jared. The genie might have guessed it as well, after all Jensen had no trouble remembering the passwords before meeting Jared. But, Jared never said anything about it, other than making passing jokes about Jensen’s forgetfulness. And Jensen would never admit that he only forgot the passwords so he could look into a certain pair of cat-like eyes.

It all started the day after which Jensen had met Jared.

That day, Jensen arrived at the cave, alone, to talk to Jared. He guessed that for some reason Jared was reluctant to be visible when the other thieves were around. If the fact that the members of the den had never seen the genie wasn’t an indication of this, the way Jared disappeared the day before on hearing approaching horses was good enough to clue Jensen in.

“Jared!” he had called out. “You can show yourself now. No one else would be coming in for a long time. It’s just you and me.”

“Jared?”

The air in the cave stood just as still as before and there was no trace of the genie. Jensen called out for Jared a few more times before giving up.

He returned the next day, despite having no gold to deposit and called out for Jared again. Once again, the genie didn’t appear. But, Jensen knew that Jared was there when a bowl of Turkish Delights and a jug of Lemon Sherbet materialized from thin air. The food continued to float in the air until Jensen accepted them but, Jared was nowhere to be seen.

The third day, Jensen came in with gold. He worked quietly while depositing his loot in his chamber of the cave, determined to not call out for Jared. Jensen was angry and frustrated with the genie that wouldn’t show his face and he told himself that that’s all it was. But, as he began leading his horse out the cave, Jensen realized that he was more disappointed than angry. He was disappointed in himself.

He had thought that he had finally made a friend, who didn’t expect anything from him.

“Jared?” he called out in a small voice. “Look, man, I don’t know what I did to upset you but, whatever it is I’m sorry.”

Jensen sighed. He knew he shouldn’t do it. He knew he shouldn’t lie. But, he just couldn’t help himself.

“Could you please just tell me what the password is?” Jensen tried to sound as sincere as he could. “It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the parchment and I don’t remember…”

The air just a few feet in front of Jensen began to take the form of a handsome faced man.

“The password is Jericho Kolistar,” the see-through genie said.

“You are just going to kick me out like that?” Jensen whined. “At least feed me some Turkish Delights before you do. They cost a fortune out there.”

At the mention of ‘out there’ Jared visibly perked but, the genie concealed his interest quickly and flicked a hand to make the requested sweets appear in front of Jensen.

“How about this,” Jensen said slowly. “I’ll tell you stories of the world outside if you let me stay here for a while. You spend all your time inside this cave. Surely, you must be interested in what’s out there.”

Later, Jensen would learn that it was a low blow of him to ask Jared that. He would find out that Jared stayed in the cave, not out of choice but because he physically couldn’t leave.

But, at that moment all Jensen could think about was ways to get the kind faced genie to talk to him.

Jared bit his lower lip in thought but, nodded. He made a carpet full of foods and drinks appear in front of Jensen, an invitation to sit down and talk. Jensen gladly accepted.

Since that day, Jensen had started pretended to forget the password or to have missed the passwords changing just to get Jared to talk to him. He didn’t do it all the time. No, that would have been too suspicious. But, he did it as many times as he could and timed those days with the ones he knew were the others’ ‘hunting days’, so he had long uninterrupted stretches of time with Jared. He never tried to just call for Jared ever again. Jensen thought that Jared was his friend and he didn’t want to find out if Jared only came when he called to tell him the password.

Sometimes he would arrive at the cave without treating some of his injuries so Jared could fret over him and hover close to him. He was pathetic like that.

A relationship built on lies and denial somehow seemed just like the thing Jensen deserved for all he had done.

Jensen was a lot of things. But, he was no fool. He knew that there was no future for this insane attraction he felt towards Jared. There was the matter of Jared being a genie whose lower body was made of smoke and him being magically bound to a cave. But, that wasn’t what really bothered him. Jensen would gladly spend the rest of his life in the cave with Jared if it meant he could be with him.

The reason Jensen had rejected Jared’s advances was because he knew Jared was too good for him. He knew that Lehne wasn’t lying when he had told Jensen that there was a darkness in his eyes. It might have been because of his father throwing him out, it might have been because of what the mess owner did to him, or it might have been because of the people he killed. It might be all those things or something else entirely. But, whatever it was, Jared was too pure for Jensen to taint with his darkness. That much he knew.

But, that didn’t stop Jensen from wanting Jared.

If it was just a physical attraction, just his body’s desire to bury itself in another warm body, he might have gotten over it. But, what Jensen felt for Jared was something more. When he was with Jared his world lit up, warm and bright. Jared chased the darkness away with his sweet smiles and innocent words. With Jared he felt something that he hadn’t felt in a long time – hope.

Jared did something that no one ever did. He looked at Jensen like he wanted nothing more than just Jensen’s company. He didn’t expect Jensen to accompany him of raids and hunts. He didn’t expect Jensen to bring gold to sustain him. But, most importantly, he looked at Jensen like he was a person. Jensen didn’t remember the last time someone looked at him as anything other than a monster or a criminal or an object to use.

That was probably because Jared didn’t know of all the things Jensen had done. If he did, everything would change.

And God help him but, Jensen didn’t want to lose what he had with Jared. He didn’t want to lose Jared. If he did, his life would be meaningless again.

~~~

When Jensen entered into the cave after tying his horse to a palm tree outside the cave, the last thing he expected was to see Jared floating in the middle of the cave’s main chamber, waiting for him. Jared was pale and transparent, a mere ghost – a tortured one at that. Jensen had never seen Jared this way – his face pinched his eyes downcast and his beautiful lips turned down in a sad frown.

The bags of gold Jensen was carrying fell to the ground, discarded, as the door to the door to the cave closed behind Jensen. In a blink of an eyes Jensen is standing in front of Jared, his hand reaching out to Jared out of instinct. His hand went through Jared’s non-corporeal form, his arm chilled to the bone where it passed through Jared’s torso.

For an agonizing moment, Jensen wondered if something had happened when he was gone and Jared was killed because he couldn’t leave the cave. What if this was just a ghost? A fading memory of Jared? What if Jared was gone? He should have been there to protect Jared. He should have found a way to break the curse. He should follow Jared. He is no of use alive anyway. He should…

“Jensen,” Jared whispered softly, cold, ghostly fingers hovering inches away from Jensen’s cheek. Jensen pulled back his arm, at the sound of his name, but leaned into the cold of Jared’s palm, looking into his eyes.

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing. I’m alright. I just…” Jared trailed off, eyes falling to the floor. Jensen ducks his head down a little to catch Jared’s eye.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jensen asked his voice softer than it had ever been with anyone else.

Jared gave out a humorless laugh, floating out of Jensen’s reach. He turned to Jensen and spoke in a defeated voice. “What’s wrong? Everything is wrong. I was just stupid enough to believe that it wasn’t.”

“Jared, what are you talking about?” Jensen pleaded.

“Remember how I always tell you that the other thieves have no problem remembering the password? Well, you were right. They do have problems remembering the complicated passwords I give you but can only remember it because they travel in groups. But, this time I went too far, apparently.”

“What happened?” Jensen growled out, his fists already clenching at his sides, his blood boiling at the thought of the other thieves hurting Jared.

“The members of the den had complained to Jeffery Dean,” Jared reported in an almost emotionless tone, except for the tiny shiver of his voice. “And Jeffery Dean came over to have a word with me and tell me that my weird passwords are turning out to be a chore for the members to remember. He also reminded me that I was his slave since he owns the cave and that I am supposed to serve him, not cause him annoyance. He didn’t say this in such polite words though.”

Jensen blood lust was now being fueled by the righteous anger he felt on behalf of Jared. He knew how crude and cruel Jeffery Dean could be if he was angry and for someone as sensitive as Jared, his words probably stuck like knifes to his heart. Jensen had to dig his nails into his palms to ground himself. He had to comfort Jared before he could kill Jeffery.

“Jared…” Jensen started but, Jared wasn’t done talking yet.

“What was I thinking? Jeffery Dean was right. My duty is to serve him and to guard this cave. I am good for nothing else,” Jared was talking faster now, his tail flicking agitatedly, so fast that Jensen couldn’t even get a word in. He seemed to be talking to himself, lost in a world of self-hate and insecurity. “It was stupid of me to make up passwords difficult to remember just so you would call for me. How foolish of me! The inconvenience I had caused everyone! The inconvenience I had caused you –”

“Jared! Stop!” Jensen bellowed, his voice sounding like a thunderclap in the closed stone chambers.

Jared, seemingly broken out of his self-depreciating stupor, stared at Jensen wide-eyed. Jensen was glad that they were way past the point where Jared was afraid of him. He didn’t think he could do this if Jared were scared of him.

“Jared, you said you set tough password just so I would call for you,” Jensen spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to a scared animal. “Why would you do that?”

A wretched sob tore out of Jared and his eyes started to fill with tears. The sight twisted Jensen’s heart painfully. “I know. I know that I shouldn’t have. I tried, Jensen. I tried to stay away from you after that first day. I knew I would fall for you. You were too good to be true. I knew I had to stay away. But, you kept coming back and kept calling for me. But, then you forgot you password and it gave me a reason to see you so I couldn’t stop myself.”

Jared paused and came closer to Jensen, his eyes looking with Jensen’s. “That day, I felt sunshine after a long time,” he whispered, almost reverently. “It had been so many years since I’ve seen the sun but, that day when you told me about the world outside, I could see the sunshine in your eyes. And I couldn’t stay away.”

Jensen wanted to laugh and cry and scream. There was no sunshine in his eyes. There was only darkness. Why couldn’t Jared see that?

“After that you never called for me until you missed the password change. So, I began to set tougher passwords each time in hopes that you would forget them,” Jared said. His tears were falling now, rolling down his cheeks and disappearing in mid-air like they meant nothing. “I know you don’t feel that way about me. But, I keep hoping. Because I love you, Jensen.”

Jensen turned away from those tears, from that broken expression and from Jared. “Don’t do this Jared,” he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. “You know nothing about me.”

“Because you’ve never told me,” Jared argued. “But, no matter what I learn of your past, I will not love you any less.”

Jensen turned sharply towards Jared. “What if I told you I killed people? Tortured men? Raped women?” Jensen yelled. “What would you say, then?”

Jared just stared at him open-mouthed and wide-eyed, clearly at a loss for words. He was so still it was like he was frozen in time. Even the smoky tail that was constantly moving or twitching or floating was still too.

“Yeah, that’s was I thought,” Jensen said. He rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth to distract and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes darted everywhere around the cave, refusing to meet Jared’s. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Jared and face the hatred and disgust he would see in his eyes. He’s rather die.

“I was 14 when my father found out that I was gay,” Jensen said quietly. He still wouldn’t meet Jared’s eyes but, he felt that if he gave Jared an explanation, a reason for why he had become a monster, then maybe Jared won’t hate him so much. “I was out on the streets and down on my luck and out on the streets. Living on the streets… it’s not easy. There are always predators lurking around the corners, trying to catch you and destroy you. And I’m not talking about wild animals. I’m talking about humans who won’t blink an eye before beating you up, using your body and throwing you out on a cold winter night.”

Jensen heard Jared take in a sharp breath and gave him weary smile, while still not daring to meet his eyes. “I had to get by somehow. So, I started stealing from rich merchants who never even noticed the gold coins that went missing from their pockets. But, it was more than just a survival technique. It was my way of coping, I guess… My way of getting revenge against the people who didn’t help me when I was vulnerable. But, one day, I stole from the wrong guy. I thought he would kill me but, he offered me a deal. He said that he would take me under his wing, give me a family, and teach me how to be a better thief. He said I would own so much gold that I would never go hungry in my life. He said that he would show me how to hurt all the people that hurt me. All I had to do in return was join his den.

“At that point in my life, I wanted nothing more than that. I was so angry… The man taught me how to decapitate people, how to slit throats, how to loot helpless caravans that travelled through the deserts. He told me to take out my frustrations on people and he showed me exactly how to do that. I left people in the middle of the desert in the scorching heat to die out of dehydration, I watched them suffer and enjoyed it, I bet men to death, abused women and did so many more horrible things.”

Jensen saw Jared watching him with the same frozen expression. He forced himself to look into Jared’s eyes and found them filled with tears. Jared was looking at him with… pity in his eyes. Jensen looked away.

“Once we raided a caravan passing through this city. There was a family of three – a mother, a father and their 2 year old son. When we attacked them, the mother and father were killed. The child was injured but he survived. I can still see him sitting by his mother’s body and trying to shake her awake with his tiny hands. You know what I did? I raised my sword to strike down the baby because his crying was getting on my nerves.”

Jensen let out an anguished sob. “I had just killed his family and his crying got on my nerves! I’m a real piece of work aren’t I?”

“Did you do it?” Jared asked softly.

Jensen flinched at the sound of Jared’s voice. There was no disgust or hatred in that voice, just concern.Somehow that made it all the more worse. “No,” Jensen whispered weakly. “I brought him into the city and gave him to this woman that runs a home for slaves that run away from their abusive masters. But, I was too late. The child died two days later.”

“When was this?”

“Over 2 years ago.”

“So, before you joined Jeffery Dean’s den?” Jared asked. Jensen was still turned away from him so he couldn’t make out what Jared was thinking. But, he decided that he had lied enough to Jared. It was time to tell the truth and the truth only.

“Yes.”

“Why did you quit the other den?”

“Because I knew that they weren’t my family,” Jensen said. “Because I knew that something was broken in me. I didn’t want to be a monster any longer.”

“But, you still continued to be a thief?” Jared asked. There was no judgment in his voice. “Why, Jensen? Why do you continue to do it even though it tortures you so much?”

“The child I took to that home died because of the injuries he sustained. Had the lady I took him to had enough money to get him the best healer, he would have survived. I try to make sure that no one else dies because they don’t have enough money when there are people who can take baths in gold coins and yet refuse to help others.”

That was how Jeffery Dean had found Jensen – angry at himself and the world. He had invited Jensen to join his den. The offer was much like the one Lehne had given him. But, Jeffery Dean was different in a way that he only stole – never killed unless he had to, unlike Lehne who killed for the sheer pleasure he felt when he watch the light go out in a man’s eyes. Jensen needed the gold to help Samantha’s home. He was going to make the city his home so he couldn’t keep the money with him if he wanted the city guards off his ass. And Jeffery had a perfect storage area for the stolen gold – a cave guarded by a genie. Jensen figured that if he was going to keep stealing to help the slaves that Samantha took in, he better do it as a part of Jeffery’s Dean.

Turns out that it was the only good decision Jensen had ever made in his life.

“Do you hate me?” Jensen asked, hating the waver in his voice but not bothering to masking it.

“If anything I love you more.”

Jensen swiveled around so fast it gave him a whiplash. Jared was watching him with eyes full of love and affection. His form was more opaque, though not solid, was getting there. Jared floated closer to Jensen, smiling sweetly at him. Jensen felt his heart melt.

“What happened to you wasn’t your fault, Jensen.”

“I’m a monster, Jared,” Jensen said, weakly. He was too tired and drained to fight anymore.

“So, am I,” Jared said. Jensen wanted to shake his head and tell him that Jared was the most perfect thing in the world. But, Jared didn’t give him the chance. “I _am_ a monster, Jen. I am a genie who stood by and watched as people were decapitated and spiked for trying to steal from this cave. I was always a silent spectator. I never raised a finger to help those people.”

“You were bound. You were cursed.”

“So were you, in a way. A witch twisted my soul to turn me into this. A man twisted your soul and made you do heinous things. He used your pain and grief and turned it into anger. It wasn’t your fault, Jensen.”

Jensen shook his head and shut his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. But, they escaped anyway. Jared came even closer to him, almost solid looking now. “You might not believe me when I say this but, you are a good man. Someday I’ll prove it to you.”

“Why do love you me?” Jensen wondered out loud.

Jared smiled. “Because you are the first person to ask me my name since the time I was cursed. Because you always tell me new stories about the world outside just because I want to hear them.Because you share Turkish Delights with me even when you don’t have to.Because you don’t see me as ‘the genie’ or ‘Jared the genie’, but just as Jared… I love you because you are my best friend.”

Jensen laughed wetly through his tears, taking Jared’s hand which was now real and solid and strong. “I am your only friend,” he said.

“Semantics,” Jared answered.

Jensen laughed harder, wiping at his tears with the other hand. He noticed that Jared’s cheeks weren’t dry either. “God, I love you. I love you so much.”

“You can call me ‘Jared’,” Jared said chuckling through his happy tears and moving even closer so that their lips were almost touching.

“Smartass. I’m trying to have a moment here.”

“And I’m trying to kiss you,” Jared whispered. “I’ve been trying to do that for a long time now.”

Jensen didn’t reply. He simply surged forward and claimed Jared’s lips with his own. His hand moved to tangle in Jared’s hair and the other moved to Jared’s waist. The kiss was just a desperate slide of lips against lips at first. Jensen sucked on Jared’s bottom lip, pulling him closer, while Jared’s came up to hold onto Jensen’s shoulders. Soon Jared made a desperate noise at the back of his throat and Jensen took that as an invitation for more.

He parted Jared’s lips with own, his tongue darting out to meet Jared’s, mapping, exploring and tasting the hot cavern of Jared’s mouth. He slid his tongue over Jared’s and Jared answered with an equal pressure back, both of them fighting for dominance, each trying to taste every flavor of the other. Jensen, unlike Jared needed to breathe. So, he broke the kiss when the need for oxygen got too much. Instead, he latched onto the point where Jared’s jaw met his throat and began to suck a possessive hickey.

Jared threw his head back in a moan. “Oh, god! Jensen!” he gasped out in a single breath. Jared’s hips pushed into Jensen’s in rhythm with his suck-lick-bite, causing a delicious friction against Jensen’s growing hardness. Jensen groaned and his eyes flew open in shock.

Because, hips? … Where did hips come from?

“What’s wrong?” Jared asked in a wrecked voice. It took all of Jensen’s will power to not say, “Fuck it” and ravage Jared’s mouth again. Instead, he slightly pushed Jared away and looked down.

 In place of the smoky tail that was constantly flicking like a cat’s tail were two long, lean, muscled legs.

“Jared,” Jensen whispered, still not taking his eyes off the extra pair of legs. He was afraid that if he so much as blinked or spoke too loudly, the limbs would disappear.

“You have legs,” Jensen said dumbly.

Jared was quiet for a long time – so quiet that he was beginning to wonder if Jared hadn’t heard him. Then one of legs wriggled its toes slowly. The other leg followed suit. Then both legs flexed the entire foot, experimentally moving them from this side to that.

Jensen was still looking at the feet so he only heard the awe in Jared’s voice when he said, “I have legs.” But, Jensenwanted to see the awe in Jared’s eyes. So, he finally dragged his eyes away from the limbs. Jared looked up at him too.

“I have legs, Jensen,” Jared said, louder this time.

Jensen nodded, a smile forming on his lips as the full implication of what this might mean hit him. “You have legs,” he repeated.

Jared took a cautious step back and bent a little to examine his newfound – or re-found – limbs more carefully. It was only then that Jensen noticed the white linen pants that covered Jared’s legs till his calves.

“Why are you wearing pants?”

Jared turned startled eyes up at him. “Wow, Jensen! That’s pretty forward, don’t you think? Considering we’ve only just kissed?” Jared asked with a smirk and mischievous glint in his eyes.

Jensen rolled his eyes. “While I do want to get my hands on that fine ass, that’s not what I’m talking about. How come you have pants, at all?”

Jared quickly sobered and he got that distant look he got sometimes, like he was an old man who had seen many tragedies. “These were the clothes I was wearing when I was cursed.”

“Do you think this means…” Jensen asked slowly, not daring to hope. Jared flicked his hand the way he used to make something appear out of thin air. This time, nothing happened.

 “I think it does,” Jared said, starting at his hand in awe.

“What do you think did it?”

Jared seemed to think for a minute before he looked at Jensen with a wide smile on his face. “True love’s kiss?” he whispered softly.

An answering smile spread over Jensen’s face as he closed the distance between him and Jared. “I truly love you, Jared. More than anything.”

“Me too,” Jared replied, leaning down to kiss Jensen. With his new legs, Jared had a few inches on him and that was completely fine by him.

“I love you in whatever form you are, whether you are genie or a human,” Jensen said, in between kisses. “I would have stayed, right here in the cave with you.”

“I know. You love my Turkish Delights too much to go without them,” Jared teased.

Jensen threw his head back and laughed like he hadn’t in many years. “Man, I will miss those Turkish Delights.”

Jared’s brow furrowed in concentration. He looked around the cave, his eyes travelling over the stacks of gold in each thief’s chamber.

“Jensen, we are in a cave filled with gold. There is no genie to protect it now and we know the exit password.”

Understanding dawned on Jensen. “You wanna steal this gold?”

“This is stolen gold, Jensen. And if we do this, you’ll never have to steal again. Ever. There is enough here to last the home that you support for a lifetime. And there will still be some left for us to leave the city, probably the country. We could start over. We could see all those places from which the exotic dishes come. We could eat mangoes that grow on trees and sleep under the stars. Think about it, Jensen!”

There was no way in heaven or hell that Jensen would ever say no to Jared when his eyes were shining with so much hope and excitement. Jensen would do anything to see that every minute of his life.

“I guess I can end my career as a thief on a high note, then,” Jensen said.

Jared nodded happily, floppy hair bouncing wildly, before stilling and looking a Jensen with wide, scared eyes.

“I don’t remember the password!” Jared whispered. “This has been such a long day and I was so upset and… Oh, God! Jensen, I don’t remember the password.”

Jensen smirked. “It’s Galthaur Sahikepar.”

Jared’s eyes widened in realization. “You never forgot the passwords, did you?”

Jensen ducked his head, embarrassed and strangely nervous. “I never needed you to tell me the password except for the first time.”

When Jensen looked back up, Jared was smiling fondly at him. “I guess we’re alike in more than one way, huh?”

“I guess we are…”

Jared leaned down to press one more quick kiss to his lips before pulling back. “Come on. We don’t have much time. We have to leave the city before the Arabian Raiders come back from their hunt.”

Jared turned around and took two steps only to stumble forward. Jensen caught him, however. “Maybe you should just sit while I get the gold packed. You aren’t used to walking yet.”

Jared snorted – something that he never did as a genie. Jensen was slowly realizing that the human Jared was more alive than the genie Jared. “I know how to walk, Jensen. I am not doing it for the first time. I am doing it for the first time in a long time, that’s all. I’ll be fine.”

Jared straightened himself and started walking again. He tripped over his own long legs and fell but stood again, each time smiling more brightly.

He fell. Made mistakes. Learned from the mistakes. Got up and walked again. That was what Jensen loved the most about Jared. He had been cursed, bound, forced into an imprisonment for more than a lifetime. But, he had persevered. He didn’t hate the ground because he fell. Jared picked himself up and walked.

But, then again, maybe the reason Jared wasn’t afraid of falling was because he had Jensen by his side now. He knew Jensen would help him up if Jared needed him. Maybe that was what Jensen needed all along as well. Someone to pick him up when he fell so, that he didn’t kick the ground in anger every time he fell.

He needed Jared and Jared needed him.

Thinking back, Jensen realized how similar Jared and he were. They were both cast out because of who they were. They were both twisted and made into something they weren’t and didn’t want to be. They were both broken beyond repair.

But, maybe they could be complete together.

~~~


End file.
